A fire at a home south of Ottawa saw two firefighters and the homeowner suffer injuries on Friday.
Ottawa Fire Services said they received a call at 11:26 a.m. from a motorist passing by a house fire on Malakoff Road near Cowell Road.
The caller had stopped to help the homeowner escape as smoke billowed from the structure, OFS said.
Firefighters confirmed the structure was vacant when they arrived at 11:38 a.m. and found the home “engulfed in flames.”
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OFS said the fire had spread to two propane tanks that were feeding the home. Parts of the structure had collapsed from the fire, with crews dousing the flames from above via aerial ladder.
The fire was declared under control at 1:19 p.m., though Malakoff Road remains closed to traffic from Cowell to Mackey roads as crews shuttle water needed to fully extinguish the fire.
The homeowner, a man in his 70s who will be displaced by the fire, suffered first-degree burns to his head and hands during the blaze, according to the Ottawa Paramedic Service, but he declined transportation to the emergency department.
Two firefighters were also injured during the effort and received paramedic care as well. One, a man in his 30s, suffered a minor injury to a lower limb and was treated on site. Another firefighter in his 40s experienced a “medical emergency” and was taken to hospital in urgent but stable condition for further monitoring, paramedics said.
An OFS investigator has been dispatched to determine the cause.